This invention relates generally to a device for hitting golf shots and more particularly to a Ground Simulator which is alternatively and selectively portable or fixed for hitting golf shots off of any type of surface or for practicing golf shots so as to permit a golfer to hit down through the ball without undue stress or strain on the golfer's wrists and arms.
The assembly in accordance with the present invention is adjustable and capable of simulating ground surfaces of various type and in one preferred form by reason of its portability enables the golfer to hit a shot, move the Ground Simulator to a further location and then hit another shot so that the golfer can play a round of golf where for example, the turf is frozen, the course turf requires protection during periods of repair or periods when the turf on a particular course is wet and marshy, or the course has holes made of sand or clay as exists or is contemplated in Middle East, Australia or other countries.
Further however, this adjustable Ground Simulator is alternatively and selectively, adaptable, adjustable, and modifiable as a practice device to permit a golfer when hitting a practice ball to achieve substantially the same feel and reaction as occurs when hitting under actual fairway, rough, sand traps, and other golf course ground conditions.
By modifying the portable Ground Simulator with suitable attachments, it can be fixedly connected at a predetermined area on the golf course, or in a practice area or space to provide an improved practice facility.
In regard to utilizing the Ground Simulator in accordance with the present invention as a hitting assembly for use at times and under the varying conditions which restrict the golfers opportunity to play, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that golfers of all nations are avid athletes. Thus, at all times and under all but the most stark and adverse conditions seek to enjoy the pleasure and rewards which grow from a round of golf. It is well recognized that the anticipated enjoyment of such round of golf is curtailed in those places where the turf of the golf course becomes frozen, or is softened by rain or flooding which renders at least portions of the golf course unplayable, or when due to excessive play or other conditions maintenance and repair is required to the grasses which provide the turf conditions on which the game of golf is played.
Additionally, it is also known that in countries where sand or clay is an inherent ground condition that the building of golf courses is limited and the maintenance thereof extremely difficult.
There are at present no easily available and reasonably priced commercially feasible devices or assembly which enable a golfer to simulate the ground surface conditions and the hitting of a golf shot which imitates hitting off of these various surface conditions.
Similarly, there are no easily available and reasonably priced convenience devices which act to simulate ground surface conditions at a golf course on which a golfer can practice golf shots.
In regard to the practice of golf shots various commercial devices are known. Thus in present day driving ranges, indoor practice areas, and at some golf courses, mats are used in a hitting area for confined golf practice activities. These mats are generally made of plastic and consist of either "ASTROTURF" or brush. The plastic fibers from which the mats are made are laminated with melted resin to form a rubberized cushion. The mats may be joined in two or more units, fastened together mechanically, or adhesively connected to surfaces such as cement, asphalt, wood, or even the ground. This type of construction permits very little movement in any direction especially up and down, and the units are stiff, rigid and stable in order to give them long life.
By reason of this limited up, down, and sidewise movement, these prior art mats cannot impart the sensation of actual ground conditions on a golf course when a golfer hits a practice ball on such mats. Any practice shot on such prior art mats which would for example, normally create a divot if made on actual turf causes the club head to skip, slide or stop abruptly. This not only causes an unpleasant sensation, but also puts abnormal strain on the golfers hands, wrists, and elbows, which in some instances may be injurious.
For this reason practically all prior art practice devices are also generally provided with some means of teeing the ball up when the mat is in use. This type of arrangement makes it acceptable and natural for hitting balls with a wooden club such as a driver, but is not adaptable for simulating ground conditions for practicing shots using fairway woods or higher angle irons, nor is it possible to effectually practice chipping or explosion type sand shots.
The alternative to this arrangement is to maintain a practice area on natural turf, a sand trap, or other ground conditions which is restrictive because of the land area required and the problems of growing turf to replace the turf where divot shots, for example, are practiced.
The present invention seeks to overcome all these above enumerated problems by providing a Ground Simulator which has the ability to imitate the feel of actual ground conditions on a golf course because the parts and elements of the Ground Simulator in accordance with the present invention whether in portable or a fixed assembly form, as hereinafter more fully described, creates a striking surface capable during any hitting or practice shot of instantaneous movement to absorb the initial kinetic energy of the club head and thereafter will exert the desired resistance by moving in an up, down or sidewise direction to accommodate the particular shot being made.
This instantaneous movement of the assembly and striking surface of the Ground Simulator in accordance with the present invention to enable the kinetic energy of the club head to be absorbed followed by the action to impart resistance to the club head during any particular hitting or practice shot thereon is diametrically opposite and different from the prior art devices which offer only instantaneous resistance to the club head and thus cause the above mentioned discomfort and potential injury to the golfers hands, wrists, and elbows.
This is accomplished in the Ground Simulator in accordance with the present invention by providing a plurality of resiliently suspended layers of material so disposed in spaced relation that the suspended layers are capable of operative interrelation to accept, conform and deform to any particular sole design of a club head and to move up, down, forwards, backwards, and from side to side, as the hitting of a golf ball either on a golf course or under practice conditions where the Ground Simulator is being used, may require.
In the Ground Simulator in accordance with the present invention, the top layer will respond to the exact direction of the club head, and as the club head continues on toward the target and the trajectory is downward the underneath side of the top layer will create a sliding frictional contact with the top of at least one of the intermediate or lower coacting layers. Thus, the top layer and the intermediate layers will work in unison. Further, if the downward deflection is great enough, a similar interaction occurs with the bottom layer at which time the intermediate and bottom layers will be acting in unison responding to the various directions of movement and the forces being exerted. by the club head during hitting of the golf shot.
Of particular importance is the fact that when the practice stroke is completed, the coacting top, the intermediate and the bottom layers made generally of plastic and resilient materials all return to their original position ready for another hitting or practice stroke.
The present invention is characterized by the fact that the golfer gets the feel from the practice stroke and the stroke telegraphs the general degree of precision after it is completed. Further since there are individual differences in feel from various ground conditions, the present invention includes means for adjusting this feel for example by changing the spaced distances between the top, intermediate and bottom layers of material, by changing the tension of the connecting devices used for mounting the respective layers in the Ground Simulator, by adjusting the thickness and resiliency of one or more of the respective top, intermediate and bottom layers, and the height of the supporting feet. Resiliency can make the portable form of the Ground Simulator, as hereinafter more fully described, movable in all directions and dimensions to help absorb the initial kinetic energy of any shot being made thereon.
Additional methods of changing the feel of the Ground Simulator in accordance with the present invention includes changing the rug material used for the various layers. For example, different resistances will be encountered by the golf club on any particular shot depending on the thickness, nap, backing or weave of the top layer's carpet. Fine tuning to adjust the feel of the hitting or practice shot off of the Ground Simulator may be made by changing some of these factors, the parts, and their operative interrelation, or by a combination of such changes.
In its basic mode or form, the Ground Simulator in accordance with the present invention contemplates the adjustable multi-layered assembly as above described which is made of relatively light materials so that it weighs approximately three to four pounds and thus is portable and can be carried about where the conditions of the particular golf course being played so requires, to permit the golfer to hit shots under conditions which simulate the corresponding course conditions at the point where the shot is struck. Alternatively, the Ground Simulator can be used for hitting practice shots in any preselected confined area and off of any type of surface present in such area.
In a second mode, the basic portable Ground Simulator can be operatively associated with and slidably mounted in a base attachment which is provided with means for fixedly connecting the combined units to a given surface where the golfer desires to practice hitting shots. The base attachment and the Ground Simulator have coacting guide means for maintaining the Ground Simulator in register and in alignment with the base attachment during use, and the Ground Simulator and base attachment are so connected that the base attachment acts to return the Ground Simulator to the original position after the practice shot is completed.
In a third mode the basic portable Ground Simulator as above described may be operatively connected to a stance assembly and when properly attached, prevents the Ground Simulator from creeping forward or changing position when it is either used for hitting golf shots or for practicing shots. The stance assembly acts as a temporary means for fixing the Ground Simulator because of the weight of the golfer standing on the stance area. This third mode is particularly useful where multiple successive balls are hit off of a hard concrete surface into an associated catching net for trapping the balls when hit.
In a fourth mode, the stance area may be added to the coacting combination of the basic portable Ground Simulator and base attachment to enhance practicing golf shots.
Further, the stance assembly can be so adjusted or built up that the shots that are practiced by the user of the present device can be done either at ground level or can simulate a side hill or downhill lie for purposes of practicing shots under these conditions.